Correspondent photo / Robert Hayes. Austintown Fitch’s Xavier Dahn sheds a tackler during the Falcons' 56-27 playoff victory over Mayfield.

AUSTINTOWN — After concluding their high school careers together this coming fall, a pair of Austintown Fitch standouts will continue on together at the collegiate level.

Lineman Xavier Dahn and tailback DJ Williams each committed to Ball State recently, and the pair of Falcons, who graduate in 2024, will head to Muncie, Ind., to continue their football journeys.

Though their destination is the same, their processes to joining the Cardinals, however, were much different.

Williams said his conversations with BSU began after he concluded his sophomore year, and then he visited Ball State in January, at which point he was offered a scholarship.

“Ever since then, I’ve been building that relationship with (running backs) coach (Joey Hecklinski) and (head coach Mike) Neu and all the other coaches. I took a couple other visits there, and it just felt like the right place for me and where I can go and do the best that I can do,” Williams said.

Dahn, meanwhile, was offered by Ball State at a camp just over a month ago on May 10.

Though it was a quick process, Dahn said he was drawn to Ball State’s desire to recruit and develop freshman recruits as well as portal grabs.

In addition, “Academically, I feel like that they have what I need and it’s set up perfectly for me. I’m going to (study) sports management communications, and they have all that and they’re set up perfectly for me.”

Correspondent photo / Robert Hayes. DJ Williams runs for a big gain against Foothill (NV) this past season.

They each had plenty of options. Williams chose Ball State over offers from Navy, Temple, Army, Akron, Youngstown State, Toledo, Kent State and others. Dahn, meanwhile, held offers from Towson, Temple, Miami (OH), Western Michigan, Kent State, Toledo and others.

On the field, Dahn, who plays both ways for Fitch, says right now BSU’s staff is looking for him to be a nose tech or three tech lineman defensively, but it doesn’t matter to him which side of the ball he plays on, so long as he sees the field.

Dahn also has enjoyed his conversations with Ball State defensive line coach Adam Morris, he added.

“He was open, honest with me and up front, and that’s what I liked,” Dahn said. “Some coaches lie to you in the recruiting process, and he’s been honest with me all the time, and he’s stayed with me and watched me work.”

Williams, meanwhile, liked how Ball State utilizes its tailbacks.

“They have a really good offense,” he said. “I feel like I can fit in well because they get their backs involved in the passing game and the running game, and it was just a good fit for me.”

Williams noted that he and Hecklinski developed a strong relationship over the course of the recruiting process through calls and texts, and Williams felt as though Ball State’s coaching staff believed in him as a player in their scheme.

The opportunity to play alongside a fellow Fitch teammate is something Dahn and Williams relish, as well.

“It’s very special,” Williams said. “It’s not often you can go to college with a high school teammate and lifelong friend, so (Xavier) coming there with me, it’s good to have, and I know we’re going to go up there and do our thing.”

Dahn added, “It just shows that we can play anywhere, but that we have to keep working.”

Now, with recruitment wrapped up, the two are looking toward the respective senior seasons at Fitch. Dahn and Williams each have lofty aspirations for their final seasons in the red and blue.

Dahn has five goals: 15-plus sacks, 50-plus tackles, make the North-South All-Star Game, improve his ranking in his class and to win a state championship.

Williams added, “My first goal is to have a better season than I did last year. We’ve been working as a team, we’ve really not fallen off that much. So I’m looking forward to senior year, focusing and just having the best season I can have to go out with a bang.”

jwhetzel@tribtoday.com